


A Lineage Drawn True

by abo_trash



Category: Star vs. The Forces Of Evil
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, Illustrations, Magical High Commission - Freeform, Magical Pregnancy, Moving In Together, Multi, Original Character(s), Plans For The Future, Polyamorous Character, Relationship Discussions, she won't come in for a bit tho, they appear for a bit but idk if its enough to tag them s o
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-04-07 17:44:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19089964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abo_trash/pseuds/abo_trash
Summary: For the sake of Mewni, they have to work together. For the sake of the future and whatever it may hold- for them and for their daughters- they have to draw an alliance. Not just an alliance, no. They need to make Mewni happy, and for that to happen... They have to unite the Butterfly lineages.





	1. Chapter 1

“We need to trust each other.” It was not a question. There was no lilt to her voice, no direction the tone could have taken, but still, Eclipsa found her head tilting to the side as she looked to the intruder in her home. She hadn’t even heard Moon come in, so focused on her daughter, but there she was, standing in the doorway to Meteora’s bedroom. She was standing tall, strong, and so very _proud_ , but there was a hint of something in her eyes that stood out. Perhaps… Hesitation? She wasn’t sure. It fought against the image Moon was trying to create, was trying to force herself into, and Eclipsa could only sigh, drawing her daughter to her hip as she stood.

Moon was not expected today. That was, of course, not to say she wasn’t welcome. She was always welcome in her home. But Moon, the former queen of Mewni, was anything but _improper_. Normally, she would have sent a message ahead, to let her know she was coming. She would have given her time to prepare, as if there was something Eclipsa was trying to _hide_ , and to show up unannounced, with such a guarded stance and equally guarded comment… Well, Eclipsa knew when something was about to go south, for all that she had been fighting against to stop things from going that way, and simply let out a barely noticeable sigh.

“Of course we do, Moon,” she hummed, hardly listening to her daughter whine at her interrupted play time, and made her way to the door. Moon drew up taller, her features grew tighter, and she could see Moon swallow a thick lump that seemed to be caught in her throat. Was she expecting a fight? In front of her daughter? As if she would ever… Still, she had to play ignorant. Ignorant meant others trusted her more, revealed more to her, and more information was exactly what she needed. “Why don’t we sit down and have some tea? We can talk then, hm? It is about lunchtime, I believe.”

“I didn’t come here for tea--”

“I know you didn’t.” She wasn’t one to interrupt, not normally, but this was… Well, this wasn’t normal. This was anything but normal. Still, she had to be polite. “But, isn’t it the proper thing to do, to sit down and talk things over in a more proper setting, instead of my daughter’s nursery? Besides, why can’t we take some time to ourselves now and again?”

There was a difficult fight going on behind Moon’s eyes. She was fighting hard against whatever was on her mind, and what she knew was the proper thing to do, and Eclipsa could see it. Still, she had a child to care for, so as gentle as possible, she pushed her way past the former queen, and started off down the hall. She knew Moon would follow, regardless of if she actually wanted the tea or not, and the sounds of her shoes against the flooring only confirmed such a moment later.

“Wait, Eclipsa! I’m not here for tea! This is important!”

“And so is a young lady’s meal time,” she said, keeping her tone light, while Meteora babbled nonsense on her hip. She was squirming more than usual, trying to get down and run away from her mother, but she kept a tight grip on her young daughter. Now was not the time to go chasing after her, after all. “Meteora will get quite cranky if we don’t at least get her a snack, and I don’t suppose you want to see that, hm?”

Silence followed, for just a few precious moments as Moon stopped following behind her, before she heard a resigned sigh. She knew she had won, even before she heard Moon hurry to catch up, her longer legs easily cutting down the steps needed. She cursed her superior height mentally, for just a split second, then glanced to Moon from the corner of her eye. She was still guarded, but there was something… Off about her. Her shoulders were slouched, her eyes to the side, and she seemed to be… Thinking about something. She wasn’t sure what, but she was at least aware of the fact that it wasn’t good.

It couldn’t be good. No, of course not. Mewmans were near rioting in the streets because of her- no, because of the very idea of her _ruling_ , nothing in particular that she had done quite yet- and monsters were finally being treated like equals, which meant they were upset about their past transgressions… Something was boiling under the surface, and Eclipsa could feel it. Still, she knew better than to let it blow up in her face, lest she get scalded, and had simply sat back, watching as things grew beyond the point any of them could stop it with just words. After all, none of them would dare listen to _her_. It would have to be… Moon.

Moon, who was silent for longer than Eclipsa expected her to be. Moon, who allowed Eclipsa to put her young daughter into her highchair, to set her down some cookies and juice to snack on to keep her quiet, while she filled the kettle. Moon, who looked lost in the doorway, as if she just realized she was invading a domestic moment that she truly had no part in being near. Who finally broke the silence as she turned on the stove, setting about putting the kettle to boil.

“Why don’t you have the servants make the tea?” she asked, with a tilt of her head that was pure of simple curiosity, one of a woman who had never had to live without servants until recently, and loathed the idea of how much she had to do without them. But still, Eclipsa knew she was no better. She hadn’t lived without someone around- be it her mother, her uncle, or even her advisers- until she had ran away with her darling Globgor, and had lived in this very castle, learning to do everything for herself, until she found out quite how much she did like learning to do things on her own.

“Oh, why bother them with something so simple? It’s just a kettle, dear.” Her tone was still warm, still inviting, and as she leaned against the counter, placing her palms down and weighing the options of swinging herself onto it, she saw Moon pause. She saw her think it over, giving a small nod, and a thick swallow of something stuck in the back of her throat. This was rather important, wasn’t it? No way it wasn’t. Moon was so hesitant, had even came here against the proper training they had both received before they could take the throne, and yet… She was still guarded. Still fighting against running out the door, as if Eclipsa would pull out the wand and turn her to stone at any moment.

Not that she would, of course. Moon was a friend, she liked to think.

It was then she decided to pull herself onto the counter, making herself comfortable, and crossed her legs in front of herself. It wasn’t the proper thing to do, far from it, but she wasn’t exactly the most proper queen in the Butterfly lineage. Then again, for the last few generations, there hadn’t exactly been a true Butterfly lineage, had there?

When Moon turned to face her again, her brow wrinkled as she took in the sight. She looked… Annoyed, perhaps, and a hand drew to her forehead to rub at the wrinkles there, as if that would ease the thoughts that plagued her mind. Eclipsa simply waitied, swinging her legs back and forth slowly, as Moon worked out her thoughts. There must have been a lot of them, because instead of staying in the doorway, Moon made her way closer. She hesitated next to Eclipsa, her shoulders squared, and instead of relaxing like she hoped she would, Moon crossed her arms over her chest, her expression defiant in nature, but a mixture of something near scared trying to bury itself behind her eyes.

“Look, Eclipsa… We both know I didn’t come here for tea--”

“You have made that quite obvious, dear. I am the one who suggested it, after all, and you won’t stop arguing with me about it.”

“Yes, well...” A pause, a slight blush to her cheeks, and a slight cough into her fist told Eclipsa that she was getting under her skin, just a little, and she chose to dial it back, wanting to hear why Moon was here. “Eclipsa, I came here because the kingdom is struggling. Mewmans have been displaced from their homes-”

“The homes they took from monsters, you mean?”

“Yes, yes, I get it! Won’t you let me finish? This is rather important, you know!” The sharp tone, a hint of anger dancing in her eyes, was enough to draw her hands from her sides into the air in defeat. So be it. She’d shut up. She even moved to draw an invisible zipper across her lips to prove such, drawing a sigh from Moon as one of her hands once again rose to massage her temples, no doubt fighting this encounter to be irritating. “Sorry. I... I shouldn’t have snapped like that.”

“It’s alright, dear. I’m sorry for interrupting so much. I’ll stop now, so please, do go on.”

“Thank you… As I was saying, mewmans have been displaced from their homes, and are close to rioting, while monsters are still struggling without a proper place in the world. Monsters and mewmans alike are starting to come to terms with past transgressions, and it’s only going to get worse. You need to do something, Eclipsa. The Magical High Commission is going to start stepping in soon if you don’t.”

“What can I do, Moon?” For the first time since Moon had shown up unannounced, her tone dropped. Gone was the happiness, the light joking and prodding manner. Instead, she let her emotions get the better of her, tears drawn to her eyes and threatening to spill down her cheeks. She tried not to let them show, but instead found her hands drawing to her cheeks, her gloved hands scrubbing away the tears with near practiced ease. “No one even tries to listen to me. They want you. You, back in power, and me… Back in the crystals. They hate me, Moon. Everything I try to do, everything I talk to them about… It just… Goes wrong. I try working with them, but they fight against me every step of the way. The only thing I can do is just… Give the throne back to you, but even then that wouldn’t solve anything, would it?”

It was silent again, too silent really. The only real sounds in the room was the water in the kettle starting to boil, and her darling Meteora noisily munching on her snacks. She didn’t dare look up at Moon, finding herself unable to do anything but stare at her lap as she fought against the tears bubbling in the corners of her eyes. She couldn’t stand to see another former queen of Mewni disappointed in her. As if she didn’t see one of those in her dreams every night, as she desperately fought against the memories of how much her mother would hate to see what she had become, as if she didn’t have nightmares about waking up with her mother standing above Meteora’s crib, sword at the ready--

The kettle blew, but she made no move to grab it. It was taking all of her energy to keep herself upright, let alone daring to move from the counter to grab the pot and move it from the heat. She couldn’t even draw her head up to look at Moon’s face, staring at her feet instead. It was an easier target, something to focus on that wouldn’t result in Moon seeing the tears threatening to streak her cheeks, and something she didn’t have to worry about looking disappointed.

A sigh broke through the whistle of the kettle, and she watched Moon take a step back. She tilted her head up, just a little, and watched as Moon stepped over to the stove. “Perhaps,” Moon started, as she pulled the kettle off the heat and set it to the side, idly turning off the burner it had sat on, “we can work together. Together, we can… Work out a plan for the future. We can make sure monsters and mewmans alike are getting what they need, and… And make Mewni a better place for our daughters. Do you trust me, Eclipsa?”

 

 

“Of course,” she murmured, and she could see Moon’s shoulders deflate. With barely a thought on how she looked, she wiped the tears from her eyes, letting her glove absorb the arrogant little traitors, and found herself leaning back on her palms. She had to be calm, she had to be collected. Together, they could work this out. It was all they had. “Do you trust me, Moon?”

“Honestly?” Moon looked to the side. To Meteora. She watched the infant, and the small little moment dragged on for far longer than Eclipsa would have ever liked it to. It felt like an eternity, with Moon hesitating, dragging back her answer and fighting on saying what she knew she shouldn’t. But, finally, it broke with a sigh, and Moon looked back to her, defiance and motherly affection burning in her eye, strong and powerful enough to nearly make Eclipsa draw back in shock. “Not really. But for the sake of Star, for the sake of Mewni, I’m willing to try to trust you, as long as you’ll work with me. Do we have an understanding?”

“As always, dear Moon. As always.”


	2. Chapter 2

Though it felt like much longer, only a few weeks had passed since Eclipsa’s first meeting with Moon. Weeks of nearly tearing out her hair, of fighting with her over what they should do, of trying to find the right way, one that made them both happy. Weeks of yelling, of negotiating, of fighting over little details, of scrambling to try to make the other happy while each holding their own point strong. She hated every moment of it, but struggled to find a solution, knowing that every moment that dragged on left monsters behind, left her husband in the crystal, and she was growing desperate for a way to make this work. For something that Moon and her would both agree on.

With her plans spread before her on her desk, her head in her hands, Eclipsa could do nothing more than let out a distressed groan, biting back the urge to chew on her lip. Nothing was working. Nothing made Moon happy. She was still so broken up about monsters, still so distraught about what happened in the past, that Eclipsa was finding herself running on fumes. Everything that she suggested, Moon fought against. As far as Moon was concerned, monsters were too dangerous to be near mewmans, despite whatever Eclipsa tried to say to the contrary, and she was stretched thin.

It reminded her too much of her mother, too much of the fights they’d had during the time her mother had been alive, and she was at her wit’s end. She stood with a small- barely audible even in the empty room- huff, running a hand through her hair, and took another look over the different treaties she had tried to make with Moon. They had to find a way for both of them to still rule, to work together for their future, but no matter what she tried, no matter how hard she tried to work with the other’s hatred and disgust of monsters- and what seemed to be herself, though she tried not to let that thought linger too long, for surely Moon didn’t really _hate_ her- she was drawing nowhere. Her hands ghosted over the papers, spreading them apart to read the words she didn’t really need to see again, and just as she found her teeth sinking into her bottom lip, gnawing at the edge of the dry and cracked skin there, her bedroom door slammed open.

“Eclipsa!” Star’s voice startled her from her thoughts, just as much as the sound of the door slamming had, and she whirled around to face Star, seeing tears in her eyes and something bubbling under the surface. Something... awful. Downright dreadful. She could tell that something was wrong, just by the way Star’s body heaved, her shoulders shaking with barely repressed emotion, and for the moment, she dared to forget about Moon and the struggles they had together. This was more important, she was sure.

“Oh, darling, what is it? Is everything okay?” she asked, tilting her head to the side just so, only for Star to squeeze her eyes shut. She ran into Eclipsa nearly full force, throwing her arms out, and without a second thought, Eclipsa held her arms open, allowing Star to crash into her in a desperate hug that threatened to squeeze the life from her, and managed to force the air from her lungs with a small grunt. Without even really trying to get her breath back first, she hugged the other tight, knowing that Star needed comfort right then more than she needed reprimanding for running into her, and she was happy to give it. “Oh, dear… Tell me what’s wrong...”

She could feel the tears starting to soak into her shoulder, Star’s hands gripping onto the back of her dress with such force that, for just a moment, she was worried that Star would rip through the fabric. The thought was pushed away, for she knew she could fix the dress with ease if that happened to be the case, and she was sure that Star would make no move to do so on purpose, and instead focused on the choked noise that Star made, her body shaking as she forced out the words that seemed stuck in her throat. “Tom broke up with me!”

“Oh, Star... I’m so sorry,” she murmured, one hand moving to run her fingers through Star’s hair. She could feel her body shaking in her grip, her sobs slipping through in choked little noises that broke her heart, and she knew that the best she could do was simply to hold her close, giving her support that she knew the dear needed. For now, there was no other thoughts in her mind. Moon and the struggles with the kingdom were forgotten, replaced by the need to comfort Star. All she could think of was holding her close and doing her best to soothe the pain in her heart.

Breakups were hard, and she knew it had to be tearing Star apart inside, more than she was really showing right then. She wanted to do everything she could to soothe her, but right then, she knew that Star needed nothing more than comfort, gentle hugs and petting her hair being the best she could think to offer. There was nothing that came to mind she could say, nothing she could think to do, but to hold Star, and let her cry it out.

She wasn’t entirely sure how long they stayed like that, Star crying against her shoulder while she held her and did her best to comfort the poor dear. Eventually though, Star drew back, scrubbing at her eyes with the heel of her palm, desperate little hiccups leaving her throat that tore at Eclipsa’s heart, before she sniffled and pulled away. She wanted to pull her back into her arms, but instead watched her shoulders shake as she turned away, one arm hugging herself as she scrubbed at her eyes.

“I just don’t get it,” Star managed to choke out, and her thoughts were drawn to the tissues sitting by her bedside. She moved to get them, though her mind was still on Star, still listening to the heartbroken words that slipped free. “I love him, but he… He says that we aren’t gonna work out. Cause we’re going different places, and I’m too caught up with Marco to really care about him. But I do! I love him, and…”

“And?” she repeated, holding out the box of tissues to Star. She took one with a sniffle and a grateful smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, before Eclipsa sat down on her bed. She motioned for Star to join her, patting the edge of the comforter, and saw the hesitation brewing, ready to decline under the surface, before Star joined her, twisting the tissue in her hand. She seemed too scared to meet Eclipsa’s eyes then, her brows furrowing in deep thought, and Eclipsa sat the tissue box in her lap, more to give herself something to hold onto than anything, as she waited patiently for Star to continue.

“And…” Star started, then scowled, tearing the tissue in her grip. One hand moved to her eyes then, scrubbing against the corner of it, and as much as Eclipsa wanted to stop her, to tell her that it would only make her eyes hurt worse later, she said nothing, instead waiting for Star to continue. She didn’t want to interrupt, and stop her from talking about what was on her mind. Finally, Star’s hand returned to her lap, and with a shuddering gasp, she closed her eyes, fingers tearing at the tissue she held tight. “I love Marco too. I… I love them both. More than just… M-more than just friends. I want them both to be happy, a-and I… I want to love them both. D-does… Does that make me a bad person? I know I’m so selfish, but…”

“Oh, Star, no. You’re not a bad person.” Seeing the tears leaking through her tightly closed eyes, she pulled another tissue from the box and carefully wiped her cheeks. Her touch was soft and gentle, full of love and care for the younger girl, and she could feel Star subconsciously leaning into her touch, so desperate for loving and comforting contact as she was. For a moment, Eclipsa felt something akin to hatred build for Moon, for not being here for Star when she needed her most, but pushed it down hard, the tissue balling up in her hand. Now was not the time. “You can’t help who you love, you know. I’m proof of that.”

There was a small laugh that broke through the tears then, and Star gave a small nod, glancing to her with a heartbroken smile dancing across her lips. One that threatened to break into tears at any moment, but was enjoying her presence, enjoying her comfort. She gave a small smile in return, and glanced towards her window, seeing the lovely rose garden below. She thought of Globgor, the love of her life, trapped in the crystal, and thought then of Moon, the one that was struggling so hard against her, and how she was keeping her from having her family together again… She let her own eyes close, leaning back against one hand as the other gripped the tissue box, and an aching smile drew to her lips. 

Despite herself, she couldn’t hate Moon. She didn’t have a bone in her body that was made for hatred, especially not towards one who had worked with her to discover what had happened to her daughter, who had helped her get her back. One who had let her have the throne, who was working with her, if only slightly, towards a future they could both appreciate… She thought of her face, thought of the smile Moon had, of her laugh, the feeling of her arms around her as they hugged, and found a warm blush drawing to her cheeks. Oh, no. Oh no. Did she… _have a crush?_

Her eyes shot open at the thought, and she saw Star glancing at her curiously, a brow quirked, but she gave a delicate cough, brushing the thoughts away, before Star could dare to ask questions. She cleared her throat, and looked towards her delicate rose garden down below. Now was not the time to dare think about… _that_ as it were. She was supposed to be helping Star. The hand that had been gripping the tissue box slipped behind her, and she leaned back on her hands, propping herself up as she shifted to stare at the ceiling.

“You said you have feelings for both of them?” she asked, after a moment, feeling her blush start to fade. She saw Star nod from the corner of her eye, and let her eyes drift shut again, not daring to think about… What she had thought about before. Instead, she thought about Star, and about her boys. “Well… There’s nothing wrong with that. You aren’t greedy or selfish for loving more than one person. You’re just… You. An adorable, caring, and affectionate little dear that loves to help others and do what’s right. If you love these boys, and they love you, then what’s stopping you from pursuing both of them at once? As long as they’re willing, of course, there’s nothing wrong with it. And anyone who thinks otherwise? They don’t deserve to be in your life.”

Her eye cracked open and she glanced towards Star, seeing her stare at her lap. She was picking at the tissue again, tearing it to shreds, while a deep blush coated her cheeks, almost deep enough that her adorable little hearts were blending in with it. Thankfully, the tears were long gone, and Star at least seemed to be feeling better, a small smile dancing across her lips.

“Do you… Really mean that? All that you said about me?” Star dared to whisper after a moment, their eyes meeting for a moment, and Eclipsa could see something sparkling beneath the surface then. Pain, yes, but hope as well. Like she wasn’t sure if she should believe her, but she wanted to, if only because it would ease the ache in her own heart from the recent breakup that was still swimming in her mind.

“Of course!” she straightened up, and gave a small laugh, dropping the used tissue into her lap as she put a hand on Star’s shoulders, her own eyes sparkling with love and affection for the dear that had done so much for her. “Why would I lie to a sweet girl such as yourself? You’ve done so much to help me, Star. Do you think I’d gain anything by lying to you?”

“N-no… I guess not.” Star shifted to lean into her touch, and she moved a bit closer, allowing her head to fall against her shoulder as she wrapped an arm around her loosely. She heard Star’s breathing slowly even out, the tears replaced with deep thinking that seemed to ease the pain she had entered with. Together, they fell silent, Star leaning against her, and Eclipsa just holding her close. It didn’t really last long, for silence with Star never really seemed to, before she started to squirm. She sat up, balling the tissue shreds up in one hand, and glanced to the side. “I’m uh… I’m sorry, for barging in and distracting you from… Whatever you were doing when I came in.”

“Oh, that’s quite alright, dear. I needed a break anyways, and you needed help,” she said, a gentle laugh slipping free as she stood up carefully. She sat the tissue box back where it belonged, and smoothed out her dress, before throwing up the tissue she had used to wipe Star’s face away. Eclipsa gave Star a gentle smile, and Star tilted her head, her brow furrowed in thought. She had known her long enough to know that was never really good, but all the same, was one to encourage anything that Star wanted to do, as long as no one was hurt. A gentle tilt of her head, and Star glanced to her desk, taking in all of the papers spread across the surface.

“Wait… What _are_ you working on?” Oh. She bit back a scowl, instead giving a small grimace as she stepped to the desk, and sighed as she shifted some of the top documents about. There wasn’t exactly a wonderful way to avoid the topic, and she knew that if she tried to change the subject, Star would just keep pressing on the issue. Not that she particularly liked avoiding the issues at hand, of course, but this was… Difficult, to say the least, and she didn’t want to drag poor Star into another fight between herself and her mother.

But what else was there to say? Trying to brush it off would only make Star press harder on the matter, and if she mentioned it being Moon, then she’d go straight to her mother to ask further questions… She sighed and glanced at Star from the corner of her eye, seeing her waiting for a response with an adorable quizzical expression on her face, and knew she just had to spit it out. 

“Well, if you must know…” She hesitated, turning fully to face Star once again, and let out a sigh as she realised that dancing around it wouldn’t really work out any more than brushing it off would. “I’ve been working on a way to rule together with your mother, or at least make all the subjects happy, monsters and mewmans alike. It’s just not entirely fair to her to take back the throne since her family ruled for generations, even though mine is really the proper line, and I’m drawing a blank on the best way for things to proceed. We are, ah… Having trouble agreeing on that, as it were.”

There was a pause then, as the quizzical look slowly was replaced with a thoughtful one. She drew a hand to her chin, and Eclipsa leaned against the chair she had been sitting in before Star had arrived, while Star seemed to be thinking over things. She was content to let her think it over, and before she could think to tell Star it wasn’t her problem to worry about, it was almost like a light-bulb went off above her head, an excited squeal escaping her throat. She drew back in slight surprise, before Star rushed over, grabbing her hands and bouncing up and down.

“Oh! Oh! I know! I know what you can do!” Star squealed, bouncing up and down on the tips of her toes. Eclipsa felt slight fear bubbling up at her enthusiasm, especially knowing Star, but she simply gave her a small smile, wondering what in the world that could have Star so excited. Still, it couldn’t be worse than anything she had came up with, could it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i broke my hand after editing this chapter so uh. itll be a bit before the next chapter, whoops.


	3. Chapter 3

The Magical High Commission was  shockingly quiet as they sat across the table from her. It was the first meeting she had been in since becoming Queen, the first one she had felt the need to call really, and the air was tense. The icy glares, their stiff postures, how they all seemed to avoid meeting her gaze anytime she glanced towards one of them in particular… It was enough to make her anxious, for her to shuffle the papers she had brought with her nervously. Star had helped her devise this plan, had helped her come up with the details, but without the young Butterfly by her side… She wasn’t sure she could do it.

She tried not to let her nervousness show, sparing a glance towards the two empty seats in the room. One, right next to her, waiting in anticipation for Star to show up, while the other was across the round table, next to the High Commission, reserved for Moon. The two were not late, far from it, but still, everyone waited for their arrival, and Eclipsa felt herself shifting the papers she held yet again. She had shown up early, nearly an hour so, in hopes of getting a chance to practice what she had to say to the empty room, but the High Commission had shown up shortly after she had, and had seemed surprised to see her there as early as she was, but none of them said a word in regards to it.

Instead, they had all stayed silent. It had been one of the most awkward hours of her life. Well, almost an hour now, they still had ten minutes or so before the time they had agreed to meet up, but the thought stayed the same. It had been nothing but glances spared across the table that didn’t meet any eyes, a silence that hung so heavy and thick in the air that it was choking and cloying, and the urge for time to hurry along, so they could get this meeting over with and out of the way.

She had never wanted time to hurry along quite as fast as she did then, while she waited for Moon and Star to show up. She had gone through her notes, through what she and Star had talked about, through what she had rehearsed in the privacy of her own home a million times in the past hour, and was sure that, despite the nerves that were bubbling and making her sick to her stomach, that she could recite what she needed to say without worries… If only she had Star by her side.

Star had played such an important role in the past couple weeks, ever since Eclipsa had told her about the issues she was trying to work through with Moon. Star had sat down with her and helped her make notes, despite the fact that she didn’t need to do such a thing. She had worked her through any logistics of the spell she would need if things went well, and now all it needed was fine tuning, something she was sure that Moon would help with. Star had helped her to apply to all of her morals after all, and thanks to her, Eclipsa was sure that this would go well. It had to. If it didn’t… Well, she tried, truthfully, not to think about what would happen if it didn’t.

She didn’t have time to let her thoughts dwell on such, thankfully, as the door finally swung open. She turned to face the door, finding a wave of anxiousness swimming through her head as she saw Moon step inside, followed shortly by Star and, floating with no sense of urgency, Glossaryck. They were chatting amongst themselves, Moon looking thoroughly annoyed, before she noticed the gathering before her, and Eclipsa did her best to tune in to what they were saying, not letting her nerves get the better of her.

“We could have been here much sooner if you had just let me deal with-- Oh! Everyone… Everyone else is already here. I’m sorry, were we late? We had some issues getting through security with Sean, but I didn’t think it took that long,” Moon murmured, making her way to the seat across from Eclipsa, with a slight blush coming to her cheeks. She was embarrassed, and it was… Adorable. She tried not to dwell on it, lest her own cheeks brighten to match Moon’s, and instead found herself daring to focus on Star plopping down heavily in the seat next to her, a bright grin on her face that seemed aimed at her to ease her worries, and… Were those hickeys on her neck that were hiding under her hair?

“Nah, you’re not late. We all just showed up early. We’ve just been waiting for you to get here,” Hekapoo replied, drawing her attention from the questions she had on the tip of her tongue about the marks on Star’s neck, and she focused across the table. She caught Hekapoo’s gaze, and the eye not hidden by her hair narrowed, before she crossed her arms in what was barely concealed annoyance at having been summoned here by her of all people. “Right, Eclipsa?”

“Erhm… Right, yes. Hekapoo is right, dear Moon,” she said, glancing down to her papers. She wasn’t going to go into details for how long they had been there if the others weren’t, so instead, she focused on getting herself together. This had to go perfectly. There was no way things would work if it didn’t. “That’s everyone that’s attending then, correct? May we proceed with the meeting, or does anyone have objections with starting a little early?”

She looked up to the table, catching the Magical High Commission looking at her with something between bored and annoyed expressions across the board, while Moon looked pensive. Their assent to continue was given through a few murmurs, a hand wave, and a polite nod, and she felt Star’s hand settle on her lower arm in a reassuring touch that she was grateful for. She took a deep breath and stood, pushing her chair back as she did so. She could do this. She could… She had to do this. She had to.

“Then, I call to order the first meeting of the Magical High Commission, Reign of the Spades, Era Two.” She felt herself slipping into ease with such practiced words, for it was something she was used to. It was something instilled in her from her mother from a young age, and this… She could do this. This was easy. “The meeting shall commence as normal, with the issues at hand drawn first, and any others not on the agenda take place after the list is complete. If any member of the Commission- be it those who will serve long after we queens are gone, past, or present ruling queens- objects, then they may do so after the full matter is in the open, but do try to be polite in the matter. Are there any objects before I continue with the first issue?”

Eclipsa looked up from her notes, meeting the eyes of those gathered around the table, and the room echoed back, near in unison, their dissent. She smiled, then moved to sit, scooting her chair back up to the table and flipping to the next page of her notes. With no objects underway so far, this was going a lot better than she could have hoped. Maybe this would all be easy, and she had worried for nothing.

“Right, then onto the first issue. As we are all aware,” she said, folding her hands politely as she could in front of her on the table, “the current reign of the Kingdom has been a bit… Unorthodox. With the changing of queens, it is always a struggle to please those we rule over, and a changing of the royal family only complicates matters further. This means things have gone into some… Slight disarray.”

“Uh, duh, you could say that again,” Hekapoo grumbled, sneering at her from across the table as if hoping to throw her off, but Eclipsa had accounted for this. She had made sure to pause there so they may all air their grievances with her if they so chose to do so, for she knew they would not let her go about this meeting without complaining in some way or another. Three hundred years had passed, but the Commission had stayed nearly the same. “Plus, you’re like, totally throwing things out of whack. I mean, have you _seen_ what things look like? It’s a mess!”

“The streets are overrun with monsters who think they can just do whatever they want!” Rhombulus yelled, throwing his hands in the air, while his snakes hissed in agreement. “And I’m not even supposed to crystalize any of them! Not even the ones that are totally evil!”

“Not to mention living in that hobble. Butterfly castle is in rubble, and where you live now offers no authority to the kingdom! Instead, they just see an empty castle that’s practically destroyed, and their queen in a hole in the wall!” Omnitraxus Prime felt the need to chime in, and she took a deep breath, letting their complaints wash over her. She knew they would be like this. They always were. It was best to let them air their complaints early, or else it would bottle up the entire meeting, and they’d never be able to get anything done.

So, doing her best to play the part of the ever patient and understanding queen, she ignored what they yelled about. She cracked her eyes open and caught Moon’s eye across the table, providing her a momentary distraction as Moon gave her a tiny little smile, and a small roll of her eyes at their antics, for she too was long suffering and knew how much Eclipsa was dealing with the Commission’s incessant complaining. She felt her cheeks flush, just a little, and internally cursed herself for acting like a young girl with her first crush as she smiled back at Moon. She had to get a better grip on her feelings. There was no doubt about it. This couldn’t keep _happening_ -

Rhombulus’s chair crashed to the ground as he stood, screaming something that wasn’t even directed at her if his gaze at Hekapoo was anything to go by, and it interrupted her thoughts. She watched the two scream, already exhausted from this short meeting, but before she could say a word, she saw his form enveloped with a pink light that danced across his skin, holding him in place and effectively shutting him up as another chair clattered to the ground.

“Hey! You guys said you’d let Eclipsa go through the issues first, and you’re being rude and interrupting her! You aren’t even giving her a chance! You need to calm down, or you can go in time out! All three of you!” Star snapped from where she had stood, her hand glowing with magic that danced across her finger tips with ease, and Eclipsa found herself impressed at her resolve. She looked across the table and saw the High Commission looking sheepish, and muttering their apologies as the magic Star held at her fingers dissipated. Chairs were picked back up as everyone calmed down, and she gave Star an appreciative smile.

“Thank you, Star. Now, as I was saying… Many mewmans are unhappy with me taking back the throne, and monsters are unhappy with the idea of me giving it back. This leaves us all in a rather peculiar place. Moon and I have discussed this, and we’ve been at odds with what we’re supposed to do the past couple months now. There is really no good way to make everyone happy as long as one of our lines takes over the throne while the other seems to be completely disregarded. After all, both Butterfly lineages have ruled for generations, and it isn’t really right to completely brush those generations under the rug.

“If this issue had been brought up in the past, the first thing suggested would have been an arranged marriage between the two families as a show of solidarity, and to unite the two lines. However, as we are all aware, I don’t approve of arranged marriages, and find them to be inappropriate. After all, it is not the place of the parents to decide who their children will marry, nor would I ever want to do so for my dear Meteora. This creates a bigger issue than previously mentioned, but after discussing the issue with young Star here, I believe we’ve come up with a solution. Star and I suggest that the two lines be drawn together in another way. ”

She paused, only to take a deep breath to steel her nerves, and she could feel the tension in the air. It was thick enough to cut it with a knife, all eyes around the table on her. She felt herself faltering the longer she took to continue, and tried to push the worry down. She could do this. She had to do it. There would be no other way. This was it. 

“The best thing for the Kingdom would be for Moon and I to have a child together.”

The moment the words left her lips, the room exploded in a cacophony of noise that was so loud, it drowned out all thoughts she had. Anything else she had left to say died on her lips, and she felt her heart in her throat. Chairs were thrown to the floor as those across from her stood, rage at her even daring to suggest such a thing evident on the faces of the Magical High Commission, and she couldn’t dare to understand a word they said, for they were all just yelling over one another. It didn’t help when Star jumped up to silence them as well, magic dancing at her fingertips as she readied a blast across the table. She could only barely understand snippets of what was yelled in the moment, and couldn’t dare put a thought together regarding it.

“-you kidding? There’s no way we’d ever let you-!”

“-should have just crystalized her-!”

“What did I say before?! I said to be nice-!”

“That’s impossible, no such spell exists-!”

“-first born inherit the throne anyways-”

“-then this wouldn’t be happening, but nooo!”

“-all you’re doing is yelling!”

“-and I’m not sure such a thing could even-”

“-and like we even want you to be-”

“-don’t deserve the right to-”

“-dare finish that sentence or you’ll regret it!”

“-can’t even be sure that they would survive-”

“Don’t you touch him-”

“BE QUIET!” Moon’s voice echoed against the walls, but if it wasn’t for the blue magic that danced across the tips of Moons fingertips, freezing everyone where they stood, then Eclipsa wasn’t even sure they would have stopped at it. She wasn’t sure when Moon had stood, but their eyes met across the table, and Eclipsa saw cold detachment staring back at her, as if Moon knew exactly what she did. That this was the only way to make everyone happy. It was almost painful, but she tried not to let it bother her, instead glancing towards where Star was midway into clambering onto the table, one foot against the wood as she readied what Eclipsa was certain was a punch. She glanced back at Moon, and Moon let out a small sigh, her shoulders drooping. “When I let you all go, you are going to sit back down, and let Eclipsa finish what she had to say on this matter. Then, we will cut the meeting short. We have nothing else to discuss today that can’t wait until a later date.”

The magic disappeared as suddenly as it had been summoned, and everyone slumped forward, the momentum they had before having been lost. She saw Star slip slightly, stumbling back off the table from the corner of her eye, and heard the young girl grumbling in annoyance at her disciplinary action being interrupted as she picked up her chair. She saw the other members doing the same, with Rhombulus picking himself back off the floor from where he had fallen, and she didn’t dare to meet Moon’s eye. Instead, she looked back down. She looked to her notes, finding her heart pounding in her ears and voice seemingly gone into hiding, and only dared to look up again when Moon spoke again.

“There. That’s better. Now, Eclipsa, please. Continue, so we can get this out of the way.” A glance around the table, seeing the others sitting and glowering at her, was enough to draw her eyes back down, reading over what she had written, even though she had memorized it and could recite it word for word without the aid of the papers before her. It was easier than meeting any of the eyes across the table, however.

“As… As I was saying… Star and I have worked together to devise a spell that will allow Moon and I to have a child, though it does still need some fine tuning on the matter. As I’m sure that Moon will prefer to look over the spell before it is cast, we shall work through the motions of it then, if she agrees to such. I’m aware that it would be best for I to carry the child, and I’m prepared to do whatever is necessary. This would also mean that… That I give up Meteora’s right to the throne, as I’m aware that she should be first in line. However, I’m also aware that any future child between Moon and I needs to take over the throne, so I will not argue about Meteora’s right. I am willing to do whatever it takes to make this work, for the good of Mewni, and… For my daughter, if you’re all willing to work with me.”

The silence was deafening, and she only dared to glance up at Star, giving her a weak smile as Star grinned eagerly, holding up both thumbs in approval. She was grateful for her support, for without her she wasn’t sure she could have even tried this horrid disaster of a meeting, though she was sure it could have gone worse. Much worse, actually. Thoughts of the cold crystal wrapping around her swam in her mind, and she did her best to shake it from her mind. Now was not the time to think of how badly this meeting could have gone, for it was nearly over now.

The sound of Moon clearing her throat drew her gaze across the table, despite how badly she hated to do so, and she saw Moon looking thoughtful. She saw her chest rise and fall in a slow manner, cold and calculating in a way that she would have expected from her mother, and just as fear started to settle in a pit in her stomach, making her nerves more fried than they had been so far, Moon spoke.

“I hate to say it, but I agree with you, Eclipsa. This is what’s best for Mewni. It’s not right for either of our families to rule without the other, and this is the best way to do so. We can meet tomorrow morning to discuss the spell, best practical applications, and who shall be the one to cast it. Is there anything else to add?” she asked, and Eclipsa found herself shaking her head, her hands balling up her skirt under the table.

“No. I have nothing else to say,” she said, wondering exactly when she had let Moon take over the meeting, but not daring to care about trying to take back over, for her nerves were too shot to ever dream of continuing anything else she wanted to say. This would have to be good enough. She had got through the awful meeting, the one she had been dreading since she picked the date, and now… Now she only had the worst part to come once the spell was cast. The pregnancy. That would be another ordeal entirely, one that she wasn’t sure that she was ready for, nor would she ever be.

“Then, I hereby call the first meeting of the Magical High Commission, Reign of the Spades and Diamonds, to an end.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my hands all healed up now, so writing should? probably go to a pretty normal pace after this. the illustrations are a bit sketchy and will probably continue to be from now on, cause its quicker for me to get them out this way, but i hope thats not a problem...


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